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HILL HEARING PUSHES BACK ON ANTI-GMO MOVEMENT: “Genetically modified crops will save society as we know it by preventing starvation, curing diseases and getting kids to eat their fruits and veggies, and more Americans would get on board with the science if they just understood its benefits, suggested a group of farmers, university scientists and lawmakers at a House hearing Wednesday,” Pro Agriculture’s Bill Tomson reports.

“The two-hour hearing called today by the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology and Foreign Agriculture served as a push back against the growing tide of anti-biotechnology sentiment in the United States that has manifested itself in the form of several attempts by states at mandatory labeling requirements.

“‘What we have here is a failure to communicate,’ said Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) … ‘It’s time to put some good information out there.’” The rest of Tomson’s story is available here: http://politico.pro/1k6Brcx

GOOD MORNING! Welcome to Morning Ag where your host, who scrapped her dreams of being an astronaut at age 7 after trying “space ice cream,” is feeling confident in that decision given that there isn’t apparently good coffee in space either … well, until now that is: http://n.pr/1mwrzwJ You know the deal: thoughts, news, tips, intergalactic creamer? Send them to jhopkinson@politico.com or @jennyhops. Follow us @Morning_Ag and @POLITICOPro.

POMPEO ‘PREPARED TO KEEP WORKING’ ON GMO LABELING BILL: The House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing was meant to be a precursor to an Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on HR 4432, a bill from Rep. Mike Pompeo that seeks to codify FDA’s voluntary labeling program for GMO-free foods and preempt state labeling efforts. However, whether the bill will make it in front of the committee this session is still an open question. The Kansas Republican tells MA that he is “prepared to keep working on [the bill] for a few years” if it does not gain passage this time around and is currently hoping for a September hearing on the measure, though whether that will happen is unclear.

“It’s not partisan, but there is an educational aspect to it, so it may be the case that we can’t get it done this year,” he says, adding that he will introduce the measure again next year if need be. “I’d prefer not but I also understand how it works” to get legislation passed, and “I’m prepared to keep working on this for a few years.”

FDA REVIEW OF GMOS IS GOOD ENOUGH: Once of the many criticisms by labeling advocates of Pompeo’s bill is that it requires companies just to notify FDA of new GMO ingredients instead of requiring the agency’s full approval. Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, told Pompeo at an American Soybean Association meeting, in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, that the bill would be far stronger if it required FDA to issue approvals, and that doing so “would go some way in ensuring foods are safe, and consumer confidence” in that safety. Without required FDA approval, “now critics can say the FDA is one of the only [regulators] in the world that does not formally approve these seeds,” Jacobson said.

Pompeo said he considered requiring FDA approval when drafting the bill, but “I ultimately concluded this was the right place to go … I'm not at all convinced that there should have been any requirement to submit to the FDA.” However, he continued, with FDA review of a biotech product, “if they send out an objection letter the likelihood that company is going to move forward to put that food in the marketplace is very low.” More on Pompeo’s remarks at the ASA meeting available here: http://politico.pro/1mJV0gq

FOSTER FARMS SPENDING $75M TO STOP SALMONELLA: Pro Agriculture’s Chase Purdy has the scoop: “To those who believe Foster Farms is not making enough of an effort to stop producing salmonella-contaminated poultry, take note: The Livingston, Calif.-based chicken processor has spent $75 million trying to uncover and eliminate the problem, according to a top food safety scientist hired by the company... Michael Doyle, director of the University of Georgia’s Center for Food Safety, one of five scientists hired by the company to serve on a panel and help it find salmonella hotspots, asserts that no stone is being left unturned at Foster Farms. He told POLITICO Pro that he and others on the panel have visited ranches, processing facilities and breeder operations — examining all parts of the process — to find ways to reduce and eliminate opportunities for contamination.” Purdy’s story is available here: http://politico.pro/VLTbo0

SENATE CONFIRMS VETTER AS CHIEF AG NEGOTIATOR: The Senate yesterday approved current Deputy Agriculture Secretary Darci Vetter to be chief U.S. agricultural trade negotiator, putting her on the front lines of tough trade talks with Japan and the European Union. Vetter has been deputy undersecretary for farm and foreign agricultural services since 2010. President Barack Obama nominated her for the post in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative last year and the Senate Finance Committee backed her nomination in May. She replaces Isi Siddiqui, who was chief U.S. agriculture negotiator for the first five years of the Obama administration. More on Vetter’s confirmation available here: http://politico.pro/1jr4uwC

EPA AIMING FOR SPRING 2015 FOR FINAL WATERS RULE: EPA is aiming to release “next spring” its final Clean Water Act rule defining “Waters of the U.S.,” Deputy Administrator Bob Perciasepe told POLITICO Pro during the ASA meeting. In the coming months EPA plans to have the rule reviewed by its Science Advisory Board and will take into account public comments, which are due October 20, prior to finalizing the measure, Perciasepe said at the forum. While a lot of concerns have been raised about the rule, Perciasepe said the measure would result in few changes for farmers. More on Perciasepe’s remarks available here: http://politico.pro/1qkJwhx

EPA leadership had a busy day Wednesday with Administrator Gina McCarthy in Missouri talking to farmers, and Perciasepe spending the morning defending the proposed waters rule to the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. His testimony is available here: http://1.usa.gov/TTr9W2

GRAVES FILES BILL TO BLOCK EPA RULES: On Wednesday, while McCarthy was visiting his district, Missouri Rep. Sam Graves (R) introduced a bill that seeks to block all EPA rulemakings, including the waters rule, and require review of all existing rules, The Hill reports. The bill would also affect ongoing climate efforts, according to The Hill: http://bit.ly/1q04xlX

But Graves isn’t alone in trying to block the watersand climate rules. A House Appropriations subcommittee Wednesday signed off on the 2015 Interior-EPA spending bill, which among other things, prohibits funds from being spent to finalize the controversial rules. More on the bill from POLITICO Pro Energy is available here: http://politico.pro/1k6ruf2

SOYBEAN PRODUCERS ON THE HILL: Members of the American Soybean Association will be on Capitol Hill today to urge lawmakers from their respective states to take action on a list of priorities for the industry. Top of those priorities, representatives from the group said at its meeting yesterday: GMO labeling; pending tax extenders; EPA’s Renewable Fuel Standard, particularly as it relates to biodiesel; and the trade agreements in Europe and the Pacific.

MA’s INSTANT OATS

-- Researchers at the University of Arizona are looking into stinger-less bees as a potential solution to the decline in honeybee populations, Mother Nature Network reports: http://bit.ly/1mKgeuD

-- The Wall Street Journal takes a look at the rise of quinoa to superfood status in the United States: http://on.wsj.com/1k6AJvL

-- A recent survey by the Iowa Farm Bureau finds that consumers care most about taste, price, nutrition and safety, and less about GMOs and other factors, the Des Moines Register reports: http://dmreg.co/1lUQFkx

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